nature

Poetry·Ava Alexander, age 11 — Winter melts into spring as mountains show green haze, moles tunnel, and a robin pulls the first worm from softened ground.

Poetry·Cayley Ziak, age 12 — A tree and stars converse at night, each envying the other's life until they recognize their own unique purposes and blessings.

Poetry·Kelly Dai, age 12 — Thirteen sensory vignettes capture autumn through taste, sound, sight, and feeling, from gingersnaps to geese flying south to the mountain's sigh.

Story·Emmy J. X. Wong, age 11 — A girl searches for the perfect hospital gift for her grandmother and finds swan boat tickets from their beloved Boston Garden walks, along with a cherished book.

Story·Alexandria Lenzi, age 13 — In drought-stricken Africa, a girl's beloved zebra friend is sacrificed to save her dying mother, then the rains finally come.

Poetry·Rhiannon Grodnik, age 12 — A twelve-year-old slips outside at night to lie in wet grass, listening to her watch tick and feeling the wind carry away time's demands.

Poetry·Lincoln Hartnett, age 10 — A storm builds through vivid color and sound imagery — yellow light, scarlet glow, pounding rain, thunder — then retreats into peace.

Story·Andrew Lee, age 13 — After his older brother leaves for college, a boy finds solace in their old fort and rescues a fallen fledgling, seeing his own loss reflected in the abandoned bird.

Poetry·Isabel Sutter, age 12 — A girl hangs laundry on a summer day, watching a monarch butterfly and mourning dove while sunlight transforms ordinary towels into an artist's palette.

Poetry·Isaac Kamgar, age 11 — A skier experiences the sensory rush of flying downhill, tasting the sky's blueness while steel edges carve through snow.